| | | | |  | | By Erin Durkin, Anna Gronewold and Deanna Garcia | Presented by CVS Health | A $99.7 billion budget from New York City Mayor Eric Adams came with a prediction: "Let me tell you something: It's going to be hard for people to hate me." Adams' executive budget reveal doubled as a State of the City address of sorts and a commemoration of his first 100 days in office. The budget is up $1.2 billion from the preliminary spending plan the mayor released in February, when he emphasized the need to cut costs. And we won't be shocked if someone, somewhere finds a way to hate parts of it. Adams is boosting the budget for the NYPD by $182 million compared to his February plan, bringing the department's budget to $5.6 billion. Adams took a jab at his critics, saying: "When you hear people say we don't need our police, let me tell you right here and right now, I will support my police." Plans to hire more than 500 new correction officers are already drawing flack from city Comptroller Brad Lander, who says the real problem is existing guards not showing up for work. On the other hand, Adams' spending plan does quite a bit to appease his critics, adding money for social services and several of the priorities the City Council had complained were missing from his earlier proposal. There's $17.9 million in new funding for composting, which drew criticism when it was cut in the preliminary budget, including a major expansion of food waste separation at city schools. The mayor will pay to expand an alternative 911 response that sends social workers and EMTs to mental health calls, and commit more to emergency food assistance. There's a $5 billion increase in capital spending for affordable housing over the next decade, still far short of the $2 billion annually that housing advocates have called for. But you can't please everyone, so budget hawks are lamenting a move away from the fiscal discipline Adams has been espousing. "They identified a whole bunch of new priorities — many of them are good — but he did nothing to improve productivity or the structure of government to offset that," said Andrew Rein, president of the Citizens Budget Commission. "So we're setting ourselves up for a future crisis, and that risks New Yorker's health and safety."
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New York City Mayor Eric Adams delivers an address on his first 100 days and the future of New York City at the Kings Theatre in Brooklyn on Tuesday , April 26, 2022. | Michael Appleton/Mayoral Photography Office | IT'S WEDNESDAY. Got tips, suggestions or thoughts? Let us know ... By email: EDurkin@politico.com and agronewold@politico.com, or on Twitter: @erinmdurkin and @annagronewold WHERE'S KATHY? Making an announcement at an MTA board meeting, speaking at a National Institute for Reproductive Health lunch, and announcing investments to support Holocaust survivors. WHERE'S ERIC? Attending the acting Consul General of Canada's CEO roundtable, speaking at the Citizens Housing & Planning Council's lunch, and speaking at the Financial Times' Future Cities Americas virtual conference.
| | A message from CVS Health: New Yorkers want the lowest prescription drug costs possible and CVS Health's pharmacy benefit manager (PBM) team is delivering for them. With big drug companies continually increasing the price of prescription drugs, we negotiate lower prescription drug costs for employers, consumers and working families across the state. That saves New Yorkers and employers tens of millions of dollars each year so they can continue to provide affordable coverage that keeps their employees healthy. Learn more. | | | |  | What City Hall's reading | | Prosecutors giving 'serious consideration' to federal takeover of Rikers, by POLITICO's Erin Durkin: The Manhattan U.S. Attorney is giving "serious consideration" to seeking a federal takeover of Rikers Island to address the "ongoing daily constitutional injury" to detainees there, prosecutors told a judge Tuesday. Rikers has been plagued by violence for years, and conditions have grown even more dire during the Covid-19 pandemic as correction officers have missed work in large numbers. "The government is currently giving serious consideration to a receivership option, including the authorities and powers that a potential receiver would need to have to effectively take all steps to achieve compliance and address that amounts to an ongoing daily constitutional injury to the inmates in these jails," assistant U.S. Attorney Jeffrey Powell said at a status conference in federal court in the Southern District of New York. "Some of Eric Adams's Hires Have Troubling Pasts. He's Fine With That," by The New York Times' Dana Rubinstein and Jeffery C. Mays: "As a new mayor, Mr. Adams has made scores of appointments to his administration, including several well-respected government professionals with no known red flags. But the mayor has also surrounded himself with friends and allies with histories of saying or doing things that have led to criticism, protests and even arrests. They include deputy mayors, chief advisers and lower-salaried aides. Mr. Adams has shown a propensity to fiercely favor loyalists, as well as a willingness to buck public opinion. He also cites his own arrest on trespassing charges at the age of 15 as evidence that people evolve and should not be written off for past behavior." "Council Transportation Chair's Car Sped Through School Zones 17 Times in a Year," by Streetsblog's Julianne Cuba: "Do as I say, not as I do. Council Member Selvena Brooks-Powers, who chairs the Council's Transportation Committee and represents one of the most dangerous places in the city for pedestrians and motorists, has been caught speeding in school zones a whopping 17 times in the last 11 months, including receiving seven camera-issued speeding tickets so far this year. Her car has been nabbed for school zone speed violations 22 times overall (plus one for blowing through a red light) since May, 2020, or roughly once a month." " NYC government on social media, press blackout during Mayor Adams budget speech," by New York Daily News' Rocco Parascandola and Leonard Greene: "Silence while the mayor is speaking! Mayor Adams wants all eyes on him Tuesday as he delivers a speech on his $99.7 billion budget plan, so his top spokesman ordered all city agencies to not post anything on social media or send press releases while he is speaking, the Daily News has learned. An internal NYPD email seen by the Daily News with the subject 'Temporary Social Media Freeze Today' notes that Adams 'is asking that no social media posts go out until his speech is over.' A source said the order applies to all social media accounts operated by city government. After the Daily News published a report on the email, Adams' top spokesman Fabien Levy insisted the order was his and his alone. The blackout also applies to press releases." MAYOR MEETS PREET — Mayor Eric Adams questioned the legality of public urination as he struck a tough-on-crime message during an in-person interview with former U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara in Manhattan Tuesday night. "We should have never legalized public urination. What were we thinking about?" Adams said in reference to the decriminalization (though not legalization) seven years ago of quality-of-life offenses. The mayor and Bharara chatted for more than 45 minutes on the stage of The Cooper Union's Great Hall. Adams was briefly interrupted by protesters calling him "Black Giuliani," following a discussion of conditions at the jail complex on Rikers Island. Later, Adams promised to release his tax returns and attributed his earlier refusal to the "arrogance of the reporter that asked the question" last week. The pair wound down by discussing politics. Would the city's 110th mayor follow in the footsteps of his three immediate predecessors and make an ill-fated run for the White House? "No dodging," Adams replied. "You can run America from New York." — Sally Goldenberg
| | | | DON'T MISS ANYTHING FROM THE 2022 MILKEN INSTITUTE GLOBAL CONFERENCE: POLITICO is excited to partner with the Milken Institute to produce a special edition "Global Insider" newsletter featuring exclusive coverage and insights from the 25th annual Global Conference. This year's event, May 1-4, brings together more than 3,000 of the world's most influential leaders, including 700+ speakers representing more than 80 countries. "Celebrating the Power of Connection" is this year's theme, setting the stage to connect influencers with the resources to change the world with leading experts and thinkers whose insight and creativity can implement that change. Whether you're attending in person or following along from somewhere else in the world, keep up with this year's conference with POLITICO's special edition "Global Insider" so you don't miss a beat. Subscribe today. | | | | | | | WHAT ALBANY'S READING | | Hochul asks Legislature to help remove her former Lt. Gov. from the ballot, by POLITICO's Anna Gronewold: Gov. Kathy Hochul is asking the state Legislature to help remove former Lt. Gov. Brian Benjamin from the primary ballot following his arrest and resignation earlier this month. Hochul, after a campaign event in Albany on Tuesday, told reporters that she has reached out to legislative leaders about passing a bill to change state election law. Neither chamber appears too eager to expand state election law — which allows very few justifications for kicking a candidate off the ballot — during a cycle that is already in progress. Assemblymember Amy Paulin (D-Westchester) proposed a bill earlier this month that would allow for a replacement candidate on the ballot if someone is facing a criminal charge or is very ill. But so far there is no corresponding proposal in the state Senate. Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins (D-Yonkers) confirmed to reporters in the Capitol on Tuesday that Hochul reached out to her on Monday night about taking up the issue. But Stewart-Cousins said she and her members "really, really, really don't like to change rules in the middle of a process and certainly in the middle of the election." — 'Hochul Honeymoon Is Over for Livid Albany Lawmakers,' by The City's Josefa Velasquez — The New York State Nurses Association endorsed Hochul's campaign for a full term. "Taking aim at Hochul, Suozzi unveils ethics plan ," by Times Union's Chris Bragg: "U.S. Rep. Thomas Suozzi, a Democratic gubernatorial candidate, unveiled a proposed government reform plan on Tuesday that would overhaul New York's embattled ethics, campaign finance and budgetary regulations. A number of Suozzi's proposals are aimed at issues that have emerged during Gov. Kathy Hochul's eight months in office. Hochul is the frontrunner in the June Democratic primary for governor, and Suozzi has sought momentum by highlighting Hochul's record-breaking campaign fundraising from major donors, as well as the recent corruption indictment of her former lieutenant governor, Brian Benjamin." "Fight over gerrymandering argued at New York's highest court," by The Associated Press' Marina Villeneuve: "Judges on New York's highest court peppered attorneys with sharp questions Tuesday as they considered whether to throw out new congressional district maps that Republicans say were unconstitutionally gerrymandered. The Court of Appeals heard arguments in a lawsuit brought by a group of Republican voters challenging the legality of the new district maps, which were widely seen as likely to help Democrats gain seats in Congress and knock some incumbent Republicans out of office. The court's decision — which could come at any time — could play a crucial role in the battle for control of the U.S. House, where Democrats now enjoy a thin majority. Judges repeatedly asked the Democrats' attorneys about what should happen next if the high court decides to strike down the maps. But they also seemed wary about overstepping their authority." Assembly passes 2-year moratorium on fossil-fuel powered cryptocurrency mining, by POLITICO's Marie J. French: The Assembly on Tuesday passed a controversial limited moratorium on new or renewed permits for cryptocurrency mining operations powered by fossil fuel plants, the first of its kind in the nation. The measure, A7389, faced intense opposition from the cryptocurrency industry which warned it would chill additional investment in the state. IBEW unions whose workers are employed at cryptocurrency mining operations also oppose the bill, which now heads to the Senate where a similar version passed last year. " Ethics watchdog taps outside firm to fight Andrew Cuomo over book deal profits," by New York Post's Carl Campanile: "The Joint Commission on Public Ethics has tapped a white-shoe law firm to represent them in a last-minute bid to stay solvent just weeks before they are expected to go out of business. The embattled public integrity commission — criticized for allowing disgraced ex-Gov. Andrew Cuomo to make millions off a book deal during the deadly COVID-19 outbreak — has retained the global firm Hogan Lovells to defend it in a lawsuit filed by Cuomo earlier this month." #UpstateAmerica: " All Hail the Spiedie, the Greatest Sandwich on Earth," a Vice dispatch and sandwich love letter from Binghamton's Spiedie Fest and Balloon Rally.
| | | |   | | | | | TRUMP'S NEW YORK | | "Trump's $10,000-A-Day Fine for Ignoring Subpoena Kicks in Today -NY Judge," by Reuters' Luc Cohen: "Former President Donald Trump will have to pay a fine of $10,000 per day starting on Tuesday until he complies with a subpoena from the state attorney general probing his business practices, a New York judge said. The state judge, Arthur Engoron, on Monday held Trump in civil contempt for 'repeated failures' to hand over materials to Attorney General Letitia James, whose office for three years has been investigating whether the former president's family company improperly valued assets to obtain financial benefits. In a written ruling on Tuesday, Engoron wrote that James' office had 'satisfied its burden of demonstrating that Mr. Trump willfully disobeyed a lawful court order' and said Trump must pay $10,000 per day, beginning on Tuesday, until he complies." "Ex-cop who swung flagpole, tackled officer on Jan. 6 claims he showed 'restraint,'" by NBC News' Ryan J. Reilly: "A former New York City police officer who swung a flagpole at and tackled an officer protecting the U.S. Capitol is claiming self-defense, with his lawyer telling jurors that his actions on Jan. 6 were 'really a show of restraint.' Thomas Webster, a Donald Trump supporter who was in D.C. on Jan. 6 in support of Trump's efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election, is facing six counts, including a charge of assaulting, resisting, or impeding federal officers using a dangerous weapon."
| | | | JOIN US ON 4/29 FOR A WOMEN RULE DISCUSSION ON WOMEN IN TECH : Women, particularly women of color and women from disadvantaged socioeconomic backgrounds, have historically been locked out of the tech world. But this new tech revolution could be an opportunity for women to get in on the ground floor of a new chapter. Join POLITICO for an in-depth panel discussion on the future of women in tech and how to make sure women are both participating in this fast-moving era and have access to all it offers. REGISTER HERE. | | | | | | | AROUND NEW YORK | | — Consumer prices rose 6.1 percent in the New York City metropolitan area between last month and the same period a year ago, the biggest jump in 30 years. — Pet owners are pushing for a long stalled bill in Albany to allow for legal damages when a veterinarian is responsible for the death or wrongful injury of an animal. — It costs $3,500 to plant a tree in New York City. — The MTA chairman said he would form a review panel to figure out how to curb fare evasion. — General Electric is preparing for a three-way split in the company despite "stagnant growth." — A Buffalo poll worker was charged with prestamping Byron Brown's name on ballots. — Wegmans is opening a store on Long Island. — Two people were killed when a Mercy Flight helicopter crashed near the Town of Elba. — "A G-rated moment of celebrated 'Falcon Cam' cuteness turned into a gory horror movie Tuesday morning as New Yorkers watched a peregrine falcon eat her newly-hatched baby." — Swifties are harassing New York University's class of 2022 for tickets to their upcoming graduation because Taylor Swift is supposed to deliver the commencement speech. — Opponents rallied against a new homeless shelter planned for Chinatown, while proponents asked the local Community Board to give it a green light. — Shams DaBaron, critic of former Mayor Bill de Blasio's homelessness plan, is teaming up with Adams on the issue.
| | SOCIAL DATA BY DANIEL LIPPMAN | | HAPPY BIRTHDAY: The Intercept's James Risen … Michael Crittenden of Mercury Public Affairs … GZERO Media's Alexsandra Sanford … The Economist's Jon Fasman … Goldman Sachs' Lee Brenner … Arielle Patrick … Weesie Vieira Thelen MAKING MOVES — Dan Hantman is the new general counsel at the Trust for Governors Island. He was formerly general counsel at Andrew Davidson & Co., Inc. MEDIAWATCH — A former top New York Post editor has settled her discrimination case against the newspaper and its former editor-in-chief.
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Learn more. | | | | | Real Estate | | "Manhattan Rents Soar More Than 25% Across Most Neighborhoods," by Bloomberg's Jennifer Epstein: "Manhattan renters faced skyrocketing costs in the first three months of the year. Median rents rose from a year earlier in every neighborhood, and prime sections of the borough saw increases of 25% or more, data from StreetEasy show. Renters who left the city's priciest borough en masse during the pandemic are returning, while others are searching for new apartments within the city. The demand is giving landlords leverage to jack up rates. The biggest jump came in Soho and the adjacent areas of Little Italy and Nolita. Median asking rents jumped 51% from the start of 2021, when rates were still depressed before Covid-19 vaccines became widely available. In the nearby East Village, the increases were nearly as large, at 48%." "City officials offer a glimmer of hope for 'The Hole,' after decades of neglect," by WNYC's Gwynne Hogan: "When David Lopez, 71, bought an apartment building in 'the Hole' 35 years ago, the area felt rustic to him. The neighborhood's unpaved streets reminded him of the tiny villages in the mountains of Puerto Rico where he spent his early childhood. He was enamored with the trees and open space, and the dogs that would laze around in the dusty streets basking in the sun. 'It was idyllic,' he said. It was also drier. 'Back then there was less cement, less asphalt, and the water was able to drain out and we would have large dry spells.' But a few years after he moved in, the city paved the streets without ever connecting the 20-square block stretch to the surrounding sewer system. It's flooded regularly ever since. The neighborhood, home to several dozen mostly Black and brown residents, straddles the Brooklyn-Queens border on either side of Linden Boulevard and is built on top of an old creek bed." | | | | Follow us on Twitter | | | | Subscribe to the POLITICO Playbook family Playbook | Playbook PM | California Playbook | Florida Playbook | Illinois Playbook | Massachusetts Playbook | New Jersey Playbook | New York Playbook | Ottawa Playbook | Brussels Playbook | London Playbook View all our political and policy newsletters | | Follow us | | | | |
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